Month: July 2009
Show and Tell
I have an old Bridgeman-Russell Company ruler. I don’t often think about how awesome it is, so I catch myself using it to do things like scrape gunk off a counter. For the sake of history, I’ll try to be more careful in the future. (more…)
Dance. Dance. Revolution.
Pastors for Peace are on their way to Cuba again to bust the U.S. blockade. They’ll either deliver 100s of tons of needed aid to the island, or land in prison.
Come on out to Lafayette Community Center on the Point this Tuesday, July 7 to send them off and shake your salsa thang.
- 6PM Cuban dinner (veggie) and a speaker on the Cuban health care system
- 7:30PM salsa lessons with Juliana Bertelsen… then we dance
Come for all or part of the evening. Cash donations for the caravan taken at the door. It’ll be fun. And humanitarian. Can’t beat that.
Free Movie Monday
Join us for another free movie Monday at the Depot.
Monday, July 6th
6:30 Galleries Open
7:30 Conquest of Space
FREE
Enjoy a free open house of the Duluth Art Institute galleries before taking in this celebrated sci-fi cult classic. Conquest of Space follows a team of American astronauts as they leave their space station on the first mission to mars. Religion, science, and men in snappy uniforms – what more do you want? Free snacks? OK!
Use the back entrance to the Depot to enter events. This program is part of two months of enhancement programming surrounding the Duluth Art Institute’s exhibit “Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes ” from the Smithsonian Institution. Learn more at duluthartinstitute.org
Palin 2012
No shit – I just saw a “Palin for President – 2012” on the digital billboard set up by the Enterprise Rental Shop. That went up fast.
Former Duluthian in “The Hagstone Demon”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKgWqGKtkeU
Michael Udovich, a Denfeld and UW-Superior alum, appears briefly in this trailer for The Hagstone Demon. He plays Detective Willis. Look for him at 1:18, opposite none other than indie film sensation Mark Borchardt (of American Movie fame).
From the Photo Archive: Bob Dylan and Paul Simon at Bayfront
Bob Dylan and Paul Simon played a very muddy concert at Bayfront Festival Park on July 3, 1999. For some reason, I decided to wear a new pair of white sneakers. This photo is of my friend Chris’ shoes, but one of mine is creeping in on the bottom.
It was a great concert, and totally worth the destruction of a pair of shoes.
Secret Service – Fail
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/124411/
Sunday’s Bayfront concert cancelled due to low ticket sales. Did they ever promote it? I e-mailed Secret Service on Monday asking some questions about it, since it was not listed in the Transistor and got no response. Another Secret Service flop just like Lucinda Williams last November.
Carnival?
Does anyone have any information about the carnival down by Bayfront? Specifically, times & cost? I can’t find anything anywhere about it…
The Rake’s Progress
It’s that time of year where I’m in need of your retired steel-tined leaf rake. It cannot be plastic or bamboo- it must be steel. I chop the tines off for thumb piano keys and I need a whole lot of them for a music program/workshop I’m doing later in the spring. If your rake is missing all but one of it’s tines, I’ll still take it. You can contact me through yelling loudly or the internet thingy.
Plan B meets Duluth School Board
Let Duluth Vote’s “Plan B” presentation to the Duluth School Board from Greenfield Communications on Vimeo.
It should be noted that this video is not a piece of independent journalism, but rather an informational video paid for by the Duluth School District. That being said, so you may take into account it was created with intent to persuade, I don’t believe it contains any misinformation. If I’m wrong, I’m sure we’ll all find out in the comments.
Voodoo Bus
There will be a chartered bus from Superior to Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield for the July 11 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert. The round-trip costs $10 per person. It leaves at 5 p.m. from Wessman Arena on the UWS campus and will return that evening.
Seats can be reserved by calling the KUWS office at (715) 394-8530. Call on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and ask for Kim Gustafson.
Abandoned Plans: Hope Center
This picture is hanging in the men’s room on the main floor of the Union Gospel Mission. And that’s amazing all in itself, bathroom decorating decisions. But there’s more … clearly it’s an architectural conception or rendering of a long forgotten plan for a place called “Hope Center.” Many of you will recognize the proposed site and the buildings involved. I used to work in one of them so I find this especially compelling and mysterious for that reason … also amusing, the happy strollers depicted for scale or mood, people in architectural drawings always just seem like life is going perfectly, don’t they?
Now, I did a google search on this project and came up with a goose egg, nothing on this. Which made me even more curious about all of this. My questions are: 1) When was this to have happened? The fashions and cars in the image got me thinking mid 80s, also that would measure up with my memories, because anytime after that I bet I would have remembered this. 2) Why didn’t it happen? And (for extra credit) 3) Are there other abandoned or not yet realized plans out there similar to this one? I mean clear plans like this one, not some wild dream sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin — I’ve got a few of those around myself.
Chester Bowl youth summer program
If you’ve got kids and need something for them to do this summer, there’s still open spots in the Chester Bowl summer program. They’re doing things like kayaking, hiking, field trips (Twins game, Valleyfair, park point sailing and swimming, and other places around town.) Scholarships are available. Details, fees, schedules and more can be found on the Chester Bowl Site.
Moving by Bicycle
In June of 2009 I made up my mind to move from one apartment to the other. I also made up my mind to make this move using only bicycles and bicycle trailers. After making up my mind to do this I did some research and found some great testimony to this from other individuals and groups having done this on the Internet.
Two days ago, after I’d decided to move I found out about a contest that Madsen Cycles was putting on. If you’re interested in helping me win, click this link to their site and check out their cool bicycles (it’ll open in a new tab/window). If not, read on and enjoy.
Glensheen Concerts by the Lake
Get out your dancing shoes- Glensheen’s Concerts by the Lake started this Wednesday, July 1!
Enjoy toe-tapping tunes from the Jim Melde Big Band on the shores of Lake Superior this week and every week in July: July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.
The concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are FREE this year. (Don’t forget your lawn chair!)
More information about Glensheen is available at: https://www.d.umn.edu/glen/
Lincoln Park Mountain Bike Challenge and Festival
The inaugural Lincoln Park Mountain Bike Challenge & Festival on Saturday, July 18th is going to be packed with people and full of excitement for the entire family. The event takes place from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm in Lincoln Park at the Pavilion and is open to the public.
Lincoln Park Mountain Bike Challenge & Festival features:
Children, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced classes
150-250 participants and 500-1,000 spectators are expected
Cash prizes for top placement in each class
First Advanced biker to reach trail-entry is the “King of the Hill” and wins $50
Paved and off-road sections of race for all levels of competition
Kids Bounce House
Awards ceremony on grandstand stage
“Party in the Park” with live-music performances
Grand Raffle Prize Drawing
Event Raffle Prize Drawings
Food Vendors and Retail Vendors
Beer Garden
Got a motorcycle?
come out and ride it. 20 riders last month..come down and add a few more!
Free coffee from the co-op.
Peace out, Duluth!
Maybe you’ve read this post from my Facebook note, but in case you haven’t succumbed to that monster …
As some of you already know, I will be moving out of town soon to be with the love of my life, the wonderful and lovely Rebecca Zaban, in St. Paul. (more…)